


A Hundred Years: Then & Now

by send_nudes



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Headcanon, Heavy Angst, Sort of.... But not really? Mostly it’s just headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-29 06:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18219422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/send_nudes/pseuds/send_nudes
Summary: A juxtaposition of Link’s life before the Calamty and after.A lot can change in 100 years.





	1. A Hundred Years Ago

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I wrote this fic because I wanted to write some Zelda for once! And I liked it, and now it’s on the internet. So yeah!
> 
> It’s sort of a Breath of the Wild/Skyward Sword AU, but not really? Basically I took the minor characters of Skyward and put them in a Breath of the Wild setting because... I dunno why? It just seemed to fit?
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“How was your vacation with the Princess, _Twink_?”

Link had really hoped the other guards would have been off-duty by now. It was late when Link finally returned from the Spring of Power with Zelda, and usually from Link’s experience, the guard’s chambers are empty as soon as they’re officially off-duty for the day.

And yet, what seemed to be Link’s entire brigade of guards were, for some reason, still hanging around the common area.

Groose leaned against his assigned cubby, still wearing his uniform. “You heard me! Hey, look who’s back, boys!”

Cawlin and Strich come to Groose’s side as soon as he beckons them. A hush fell over the room. It seemed like the handful of other guards that weren’t involved in Groose’s confrontation looked at Link accusingly.

Ever since Link had been chosen as the Princess’ knight, nothing was the same with his peers. The other guards were so sure Groose would get the position—being the largest and self-acclaimed “toughest” of the bunch—so when Link was the lucky winner, it almost seemed unfair to them. So they lashed out. Teasing him, bullying him, harassing him, stealing the clothes from his cubby.... it was a common sight, particularly at the hands of Groose.

“I can see it in your eyes that you’re wondering why we’re still here so late!” Cawlin blurted out, quickly looking for Groose for assurance.

“We’ve been training extra hard with the Captain while you were off having fun,” Groose filled Link in, taking a step toward him. He poked hard at the center of Link’s chest. “She thinks the Calamity is coming any day now, and has been working us to the bone just to make sure we can protect the castle. I bet _you_ didn’t even know that.”

Link did know. Impa had advised the Princess directly to seek out the three Springs of the Goddesses in hopes that it might awaken her “power”. Personally, Link didn’t understand all that, and it definitely seemed like a waste of time to him—especially considering the Princess’ failure to “awaken” anything—but all that supernatural stuff was beyond him, so he kept quiet.

“And what’ve you been doing while we’ve been training?” Strich said from over Groose’s shoulder, “Taking the Princess on a romantic getaway?”

“I think we should show Twink here what we’ve been learning the past few days while he’s been gone!” Groose smiled wide and cracked his knuckles. “That sword on your back isn’t going to protect you now, is it?”

Link swallowed hard. He would never, ever pull the Master Sword on one of his own peers. He suspected this was another beating that he was just going to have to take.

“C’mon Groose, leave him alone.” Karane’s voice caught Groose’s attention for a moment as he looked over his shoulder. She stood with her arms crossed, clearly displeased.

“Yeah, he hasn’t done anything to you,” Pipit added, sauntering over and draping his arm around Karane. 

“Stay out of this!” Groose warned the two lovers. “It’s his fault for never standing up for himself!”

To prove a point, Groose flicked Link on the forehead. Hard. Link took a step back to recoil.

“How’re you gonna protect Zelda if you don’t even have the spine to fight back!” Groose stepped closer to Link, his shadow easily eclipsing Link’s entire body.

“Yeah, say something, O Chosen Knight!” Cawlin hissed, stepping forward with Strich close behind.

Link braced himself, anticipating a blow that never came. Instead a low, deafening rumbling interrupted their skirmish. The ground shook, tossing everyone to the ground.

Link knelt down, propping himself against the cubbies. It felt like the whole castle was vibrating. Somehow Groose had maintained a standing position through the shaking. He guessed it had something to do with his wide stance and posture. Groose was more skilled than he gave him credit for, Link pondered.

As quickly as it began, the shaking stopped.

A loud cracking sound came from the ceiling. Before Link could get to his feet, Fledge’s voice cut through the newly formed silence.

“Watch out!”

In a single bound, Groose lept toward Pipit and Karane. He shoved them both aside just in time for the roof to come crashing down on the spot they had just been standing.

“Groose!” Cawlin and Strich shouted, running to the debris that had fallen where he stood. 

Link watched everything transpire before him with wide eyes. Helpless, he couldn’t bring himself to act fast enough like Groose had been able to. 

He wobbled over to the debris, gently pushing past Cawlin and Strich. Link was able to lift the debris off of Groose with the help of his cronies—meanwhile, Fletch tended to Karane and Pipit.

Groose looked dazed, with half-lidded eyes and blood dripping from his nose. Rubble was still crushing his legs. 

“Groose, can you hear me?” Cawlin shoved passed Link. 

Groose didn’t respond, blinking his eyes slowly. A concussion, Link figured. And a bad one at that. He needed medical help, and fast.

“Calamity Ganon is coming!” Impa’s voice came from the doorway of the guard’s chambers. Everyone turned to face their Captain, who looked very unlike her usual prideful self. Instead, her eyes were wide with fear and her outfit was unkept. It looked like she’d just woken up—she probably had, in all actuality. 

There was no time for a response. After Impa had made her claim, she was met with another rumbling earthquake. Though not as aggressive as the last, it was longer, and concerned Link greatly. He clung to the rubbled that crushed Groose’s legs, waiting for it to subside before tending to him again.

“Everyone, get to the front of the castle. Link, find the Princess!” Impa ordered the moment the rumbling stopped. “We don’t have much time! This is what we’ve been training for, guards!”

Everyone quickly funneled out of the room, with exception of Link, Groose, Cawlin, and Strich. 

“What about Groose?” Strich shouted, tears already pricking in the corners of his eyes. He was throwing light pieces of the rubble that crushed his legs aside. “Let’s get you out of here!”

“There’s no time,” Groose finally spoke, alerting everyone. “Go without me. I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Let’s go!” Impa yelled.

Strich nodded and hurried out of the room, Cawlin following shortly behind. They were in such a rush that Cawlin had forgotten his royal guard uniform. 

Link looked back at Groose. Judging by the look of things, he wasn’t going to be alive when the troops got back.

“The Princess has gathered the other Champions. They’re meeting in the Plaza outside. Link, hurry!” Impa urged.

Conflicted and unwilling to leave Groose in his grave, Link rose to his feet. He stared at Impa with sadness in his eyes, but did not move.

Link was about to speak out when he felt a tug on the leg of his pants. Groose had reached forward and gently pulled to get his attention.

“Link,” Groose said, voice already going quiet, “Protect Zelda. She n-needs your help.”

Link’s expression softened at Groose’s words.

“Don’t let anything bad happen to her. Don’t let her die. I-If you do, I’ll beat y-you up.” Groose’s chin dropped to his chest with a small grunt. 

Impa’s hand was on his shoulder before he even realized she’d been walking toward him. Her voice was soft, sympathetic, like when she spoke to the Princess. “Link, you need to go.”

Link couldn’t move from his spot. It’d all happened so fast—

“It’s too late for him. But it’s not too late for Zelda. Go to her.”

Link straightened his back and nodded. There was no time for regrets. He needed to help the Princess.

He and Impa left the guard’s chambers as fast as their feet would take them. Impa wished him luck and split away from Link to join the other guards. As he ran to the Plaza, he couldn’t stop thinking about Groose’s sacrifice. Would he have to sacrifice himself for Zelda to keep her alive? Would he be willing to? He would have to, if he wanted to be a good knight.

After all, that was what he’d been training for.


	2. Now

Link nearly collapsed against the wall of the structurally unsound corridor.

There was a loud clang as the Master Sword fell from his hand and tumbled onto the ground. His chest was heaving and his tunic was smattered with blood. As it turns out, the deep innards of Hyrule castle are just as infected with Ganon’s minions as the exterior. At last, Link finally found a moment of peace.

In search of anything to jog his memory of the castle’s layout, he’d somehow wandered into the dining quarters of the castle— and found himself face-to-face with three moblins. Big ones. He killed one and, exhausted, fled down a connecting hallway that led him deeper and deeper into the castle. At last, he found himself in a dimly-lit room that was packed with weak monsters that were, at the very least, easy to take out.

Finally regaining the strength to stand, Link was able to take in his surroundings. The only source of light came from a hole in the ceiling that had evidently came about due to falling debris. The wall on his righthand side was lined with cubbies of some sort, complete with little wooden doors sealed shut with ancient-looking locks. The wall on his opposite side was an amalgam of shields, swords, spears, and the like all hanging in various positions. Next to them were stacks of stuffed humanoid mannequins made of straw and linen.

This must’ve been the guards’ chambers, Link figured. He trailed his fingers against the cubbies looking for nothing in particular. His fingers scraped against the rusty locks as he walked, taking everything in as carefully as possible.

He came to a halt when his fingers missed a lock. In the same moment, his foot came in contact with a small, heavy object that he inadvertently kicked across the room. Link figured that particular lock’s handle must’ve rusted away after a hundred years and fallen to the ground.

Link hesitated to open the cubby, but eventually gave in to his curiosity. He pulled the wooden door open gently, noticing right away the copious amount of cobwebs that’d accumulated over time. Other than the cobwebs, the cubby had two hooks perched either side, with a navy blue hat hanging on one and a matching shawl on the other. 

Link carefully picked up the hat and blew a thick layer of dust off the top. Old age aside, the craftsmanship was outstanding. The royal family’s crest was embroidered on the top. Link wondered with a smirk if Zelda had done it herself (rationality, he knew she didn’t, but still). It must’ve belonged to someone with a head much larger than his own. He set it aside.

With great interest, Link picked up the shawl. It was a beautiful garment, even after all this time. The shawl had a bright yellow trim made the navy color stand out and a collar that still stood upright like it had been made yesterday. A shiny, gold chain connected the stout shoulders of the cape together. Link trailed his fingers over the tiny details embroidered on the backside of the shawl, aghast that something so nice was hidden away.

Link suddenly had a thought. He had no idea where it came from (it certainly wasn’t a memory) or what had caused him to think of it. He flipped over the shawl and examined the inner seam of the collar.

Sure enough, he found what he was looking for. The word “Cawlin” was sewn into the navy fabric with yellow thread.

Link’s heart was pounding. This uniform belonged to Cawlin. Link wondered if he knew Cawlin. He wondered if they were friends. He hated that he couldn’t remember. Link carefully put everything back in its place and closed the door.

He suddenly felt extremely out of place in his surroundings. There was probably a time when he spent every day in this room. He probably came in here every day, greeted his friends, laughed with them, cried with them, trained with them. All in this room. 

Now it’s in ruins and his friends are dead. And he can’t even be sad about it because he doesn’t remember.

Link fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face before he even knew he was crying. How dare he get a second chance? How dare he be the only one that lives? He didn’t even know for sure that he deserved it. He didn’t even know what he didn’t know. His fingers grasped at nothing against the wood floor. He took a deep breath and let it out in a half-sob half-scream. It echoed down the chamber, piercing his heart with every empty reverb.

Link wallowed in his sadness until he noticed a glint of light coming from the debris pile just underneath the whole in the ceiling.

Still weeping, Link inched toward the shiny object and dug through the rubbish. It was mostly pieces of the ceiling that appeared to be weathered down over time, but it wasn’t long before he stumbled upon something hard and dense. Leaning inward to get a better look, Link retched when he mentally pieces the shapes together.

A human skeleton lay beneath the debris. The body was wearing an identical uniform to the one Link found in the locker. Hands shaking, Link unhooked the gold chain in the front of the cape and carefully peeled it off the skeleton.

This guy was much bigger than Cawlin. These capes were individually made for the wearer, Link realized, as this garment was tailored specifically for the very large man. He looked for the name right away, and found the word “Groose” to be sewn in the same thread that “Cawlin” had been embroidered with.

Again, Link found his cheeks wet with tears. Groose had died here, and there was no one to remember him. Not even Link.

His fists balled so hard around the shawl’s fabric that his knuckles turned white. He buried his face in the garment and inhaled deeply, hoping the scent would trigger any sort of memory.

Nothing.

Link wondered if they’d met. Had they been friends? Rivals? Enemies? Surely, Link had been well-aquatinted with Zelda’s other royal guards— being one of them himself, that is. He couldn’t help but imagine a world where he, Groose, Cawlin, and the other forgotten guards lived together like brothers-in-arms, and for some reason, that devastated him more than a world where they had barely known each other. Now nothing of the past survived. Everyone was dead and the only survivor had no recollection of life beyond what had happened in the past month or so.

Link hated this—hated himself. Why couldn’t he just remember? Why couldn’t he at least let Groose, Cawlin, and the other guards live on in his memory? Why couldn’t he offer them that simple privilege? 

He draped the shawl back onto the skeleton, taking the time to attach the shoulders together with the delicate chain and straighten it out. Link pondered the idea of taking Groose’s cloak and wearing it for the time being—it was certainly warmer than his tunic and considerably less blood-splattered—but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb Groose’s makeshift gravesite. He rummaged through his bag and found a white flower that he’d originally collected to use in an elixir (the Korok’s had called it the “Silent Princess” or something...?). Kneeling down, Link placed it among the debris so it wouldn’t be blown away by the wind.

He murmured a prayer to the Goddesses, but was interrupted by a sudden, deep rumbling from above him. The walls shook, and Link got the sudden indication that he wasn’t safe here. He stumbled to his knees as the terrible shaking continued.

_Link._

Zelda’s voice appeared in his mind. It was louder than usual, despite the strain in her voice. He reached for the Master Sword instinctively. 

_Link, it’s Ganon, I’m afraid I cannot hold him much longer! Please, hurry!_

He was able to crawl out of the guard’s chamber and into the dining room just before the hallway connecting to the guard’s chambers collapsed with a frightening crash. The shaking stopped. His grip tightened on the hilt of his weapon. The blue glow of the Master Sword offered him a sliver of comfort. 

_He knows you’re here, Link. Please, be careful! You are Hyrule’s last hope!_

Zelda’s voice offered him little help this time around. He was still weak from the mere act of getting inside the castle, and time to kill Calamity Ganon was quickly running out. 

Link trudged forward despite his better judgement. As he neared the Sanctum, the rumbling got more frequent, louder, and lasted longer each time. Link spared himself some time to think about Groose’s skeleton, which lay beyond the hallway that was now caved in. It was nearly impossible to reach now—as if it hadn’t been hard enough to find before. 

If he did die fighting Calamity Ganon, Link reasoned, it wouldn’t be so terrible. His fate would be the same as Groose’s, or any number of the other royal guards that died fighting the Calamity that day. 

Perhaps if Link did die fighting Ganon, it would be a more just outcome than if he didn’t.

Perhaps he deserved to die.

**Author's Note:**

> So... yeah! I wrote that!
> 
> A lot of this work was just me venting my own frustration with the memory problems I’ve been having recently, so I’m really glad to get it out there.
> 
> It’s my first time writing anything like this! I hope it wasn’t too sad! If you liked it, you can follow me on tumblr @ hyilians! thanks so much for reading, kudos & comments are hella appreciated!


End file.
